Grassington to Grass Wood

Start Grassington Car Park / Bus Station

Time 1¼ to 1½ hours

Facilities Cafés and pubs in Grassington; toilets in the car park

Ordnance Survey Map Outdoor Leisure 2

From the main National Park car park in Grassington, cross the pedestrian crossing and turn left along the road into the village. Turn right up the high street and continue up the road to the left side of the square to the town hall. Take the road off to the left (Chapel Street) and follow this until the Dales Way is signposted up Bank Lane.

Follow the Dales Way up the lane, left into a field and across two stiles to a footpath junction. Cross the track (along which the Dales Way continues) to a stile by a wooden signpost. Bearing right, head down the field towards the woodland, exiting the field at a stone stile and steps down onto a lane.

Follow the lane in front of you (right hand branch) and at its end, follow the signed footpath through a couple of fields to reach a stone step stile into the woods.

Grass Wood is a fascinating place, now one of the few woodland areas that have been brought into open access, but an area which has always been riddled with tracks open for public use. There are lovely areas to be found in here, but it’s also very easy to get lost! For this walk I’ve skirted round the edge of the woods, but if you’ve got longer to spend, wander further into the woods and if you head generally downwards (after an initial upwards section) and Eastwards, you’ll eventually hit the road which runs through the wood and be able to pick up the route from there.

Take the route immediately on the left after climbing the stile, to follow the edge of the woodland to reach the road at a parking area. Cross the road to a wooden step stile almost opposite, which leads into Lower Grass Woods.

Follow the footpath down the hill, keeping left at a junction and eventually meeting a footpath by the River Wharfe. Turn left on the footpath and follow the river bank to the road.

Cross the road and continue on the footpath along the river to the footbridge where Linton Falls can be viewed.

Turn left up a flagged and walled path to return to the car park.